Page 40 of Broken Saint

16

Ronin

Nova was playing games with whatever information she thought she had. But she had, so far, proven to be a lot smarter than I'd initially given her credit for, and for that alone, I was curious. That said, I still didn't want to play games. Well, scratch that, I did. But I would be the game master, not her.

Before I completed my mission here, I would drag her down and make her do things she never thought she'd be capable of. Nova might never become my wife, but she would make an excellent plaything.

"Look. This isn't a game we're playing," I lied. "If you've got something important to offer me, just make the offer. Put your cards on the table and let’s see what you got. If I think my family would benefit, then we'll go from there."

She took a deep breath and stared back at me. Probably contemplating whether she could trust me. She could not, but I wasn't going to tell her that. She couldn't trust her thieving father, either, so it was up to her to decide which one would do her the most harm.

I was betting on her father for that one.

The man had vibrated with hate as he spoke of his daughter. It had been the most unnatural and fascinating thing I'd seen in a very long time.

Finally, she spoke. "My father and Romeo Rossi are hunting for diamonds that were smuggled into this country via his son's plane."

I frowned down at her. "Diamonds? Really? That's your big game? Nobody gives a shit about diamonds. Those are a dime a dozen." Disappointment roared through me. For a minute, I'd thought she was going to hand me something interesting that I could use against Cullotta.

"Not these. They are anything but ordinary. Although I find the fact you consider diamonds mundane shocking. Since when does millions of dollars not appeal to anyone?"

"Money is great. Don't get me wrong. I love it as much as the next guy. But I already have more than I can spend in this lifetime. While I do still enjoy amassing new fortunes, I'm looking for the challenge that comes along with it more than anything else. Like you, for example. I wasn't totally convinced marrying you wouldn’t present anything interesting until I found you in a dark hallway having sex with a man you shouldn't even be talking to. You're a risk taker, and I like that. But it also means you'll need a strong hand to stay in line.” Breaking her while taking down one of the most determined mob hunters the FBI currently had working for them? Now that sounded like a good time.

The shell-shocked look that crossed Nova's face as I spoke made my blood sing. I could have come at her blindly, but there was something about her that made me believe telling her what I was going to do before I did it would be more fun. Not to mention more challenging. I'd stay one step ahead of whatever she came up with to counteract me. But diamonds? I wasn't feeling it.

"If you don't think the diamonds are worth anything, then I guess we are done negotiating." She stood from her seat and turned in the direction of her bedroom. "If you'll excuse me, I need a hot bath and some food. Today has been excruciating, work wise and tomorrow promises to be the same."

"Hold it right there. You have not been dismissed." I growled.

She turned back to me on a bark of laughter. "Excuse me? Dismissed? I don't know what you think you have the right to say to me, but it's not that. I am not your wife or your girlfriend or some submissive you order around at your whim."

He snickered. Getting her back up was definitely a shit ton of fun. "You are all of those things. Or you can be. That's up to me. Like I mentioned before, you've already been bought and paid for. What comes next for you is solely up to me. Your Daddy is not going to come riding in here on a black horse with a flaming pitchfork to save you, nor is your saint of a boy toy. That fucker has an agenda, I guarantee it. What do you think that means for you?"

She froze in place at that just as I'd suspected. She may not know who he was, but she sensed something, or she simply didn't care. That was a huge tactical error on her part and one I intended to rectify for her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She whirled around, her face gone pale, but her eyes as wild as ever. There were a lot of emotions just under Nova's surface and those needed to be explored and exploited.

I decided to retake my seat before answering her. I unbuttoned my coat, sat back and made myself comfortable in the plush chair. Whoever had decorated this suite had excellent taste in furniture. I'd have to ask for a name. My home in New York was due for an overhaul.

"So, you aren't going to deny that you don’t know the man you’re fucking?"

"You’re an asshole," she spat. “Get out."

Her voice trembled ever so slightly at the end of her demand. She could lie all she wanted, but I was going to see through it every time. Dealing with liars was my specialty. I had half a mind to take off my belt and show her exactly how I felt about anyone who lied to me.

"I take you for exactly what you are. A liar."

She sputtered once and then twice before clamping her mouth shut and dropping again into her own seat. I could see the defeat washing over her like a mask one slipped on at a costume party.

"I'm not a liar," she started. “No, wait. Before you argue, let me finish."

I waited.

"I wholeheartedly believe in honesty and loyalty as much as anyone in the family does. Possibly more so. But I also will not shy away from telling a lie to protect myself or someone I care about."

"Semantics."

"Maybe," she said. "But maybe not. You aren't honestly going to sit there and tell me you haven't told a whopper or ten. Hell, I'd bet a chunk of money you've lied to me more than once since we met."

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